Senate Resources and Energy Committees to Take Fact-Finding Trip to Kodiak

Published: September 2, 2009

Energy Policy will be the Focus

Sept. 31, 09

(ANCHORAGE) – Two committees of the Alaska State Senate will visit Kodiak Island this week to hear from the public about how best to meet Alaska’s energy needs.

Members of the Senate Resources and Energy Committees will travel to the community of Kodiak on Tuesday, September 1, and to Ouzinkie on Wednesday, September 2.

“Alaskans are forward-thinking and industrious people who have a lot to say about how we can become more self-reliant in terms of how we meet our energy needs,” said Senator Bill Wielechowski (D-Anchorage), co-chair of the Senate Resources Committee. “The purpose of this trip is to listen to their ideas and see what local communities are doing to provide affordable and reliable power.”

On Tuesday, the Senators will tour the Pillar Mountain Wind Farm, where three 1.5 MW wind turbines were recently installed by the Kodiak Electric Association. These turbines are expected to generate 12.2 million kilowatt hours annually of clean energy, which should save local electrical customers more than $500,000 each year in fuel costs.

On Wednesday, the senators will fly to Ouzinkie, where they will hold a public meeting with village residents and tour a small, state-of-the-art hydro facility that is reducing energy costs for the community and improving electrical reliability.

“This small hydro facility shows what can happen when the state and federal governments join forces with committed Alaskans to try something new – lower costs, more sustainability and better service,” said Senator Lesil McGuire (R-Anchorage), chair of the Senate Energy Committee and co-chair of the Resources Committee.

Committee members will also hear about how the local fish plant is turning fish oil into diesel, a proposal to heat the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration building with sea water, and a small scale project to convert oil from deep fat fryers into diesel.